


Stone Over Water

by Dirty_Corza



Series: Polluted Waters [2]
Category: Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Demons, Merpeople
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-10
Updated: 2012-12-10
Packaged: 2017-11-20 19:10:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/588692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dirty_Corza/pseuds/Dirty_Corza
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Meeting Sherlock for the first time, John isn't sure what he got himself into.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stone Over Water

“Dark green scales, indicative of shallow water, which means your town was near a coastline. Not near humans often, however, judging from the wound clearly from one of their metal nets. You would never have come here if such a thing was normal in your home town. You served in the Arabian Sea, did you not? A war hero, not the victim of any accident. That scar is something you're not ashamed of, you wear it like the badge of honor you believe it is. The mark of your sacrifice, however, you dislike being praised for it because it is merely your duty. Am I correct?”

John was floored by the stream of words that greeted him, even more so by the sleek merman who awaited him. Perhaps it was the sheen of deep blue scales that flowed down his tail, or the ebony hair that fell to his shoulders. It could have been many things, including the pale expanse of skin that covered his torso and face. But it was probably the pale scars that decorated his arms that shocked him the most.

“Are those from-”

“Jellyfish, yes. Interesting, most don't pick up on that. Which means Mike wasn't just bragging about you, you really do know your stuff. Which is ideal, really.”

John stared at the other man for a moment, only then glancing around the cluttered cave. Odds and ends of many types littered every surface they could, other than the sitting shells. Many were things he recognized only from his time on the front lines, innocent contraptions that could be deadly, but there were other things he had never seen before, and all that in addition to the various nick-knacks he recognized such as shells, several variety of coral, and fish skeletons.

“Ideal for what, exactly?”

“A cave-share. You're intelligent, and clearly know the signs of many different injuries, and as my line of work can often lead to injuries, that is a very useful skill for a cave-mate to share.”

John paused for a moment, eyes going back to stare at Sherlock. “What s it exactly that you do?”

That brought a grin to Sherlock's face. “I'm a consultant. And a demon hunter. They swim among us, you know, just as often as they walk among the humans.”

John felt the blood rush from his face, felt the fear in his gut as it was consumed by something else, something he was afraid to name. “You don't say?”

Sherlock laughed, gesturing him to the free shell. “Make yourself at home. It's not like you have any possessions besides your locket anyways, no need to wait before you move in.”

With a nod, John swam over to make himself comfortable in the seat. This was going to be one hell of a cave-share.


End file.
